Antioch asks interim city manager Cornelius Johnson to be permanent

Thorpe has been proactive in the hiring of Johnson as a permanent police chief could be named once Johnson is appointed, which could provide stability to the Antioch Police Department. 

This push for stability is in response to eight Antioch police officers being placed under investigation for “crimes of moral turpitude” by the FBI and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. “Once officially in place, we will move to appoint Dr. Steve Ford as chief of police permanently,” Thorpe said in a press conference.

The only resident to speak during public comment was Ralph Hernandez, who had previously spoken during the initial Aug. 26 special City Council meeting in favor of hiring Johnson. 

“He is probably one of the best city managers that we have had,” he said. “I find that there’s really no need to go and look for somebody else. Mr. Johnson has done a very good job of putting the city through a difficult period of time as he has been the interim city manager. We can consider other people, but I don’t think that with Mr. Johnson’s tenure here so far, you’re going to replace him with somebody that’s going to do as well.”

Johnson was initially brought on as interim City Manager after former City Manager Ron Bernal ended his position during the end of 2021. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco. He previously worked as a deputy police captain for the San Francisco Police Department before retiring in 2016. Johnson’s Interim contract ends Dec. 21, 2022.